Since child maltreatment and especially child sexual abuse have moved into public view and garnered increasing attention, I have been confronted more and more with statements I made and things I wrote back in the 1970's. At that time I held the view, based on studies of my own conducted at various locations, that non-violent sexual acts upon children do not, in and of themselves, cause any lasting psychological harm. When, however, harm did occur, this was due to the reactions of those in the child's environment.